Conventional real-time computer discussion or chat systems allow users at multiple separate user computers to communicate with each other substantially simultaneously in real-time. For example, each user is free to enter text messages or “turns” into the discussion system. A central computer system receives the messages or turns and broadcasts them to each of the user computers. The messages or turns are broadcast in the order in which the messages are received at the central computer system (i.e., a first in-first out system). The text messages are displayed on a display screen associated with each user computer as a common sequence and set of messages, thereby allowing all users to communicate with each other simultaneously.
In conventional prior art implementations, the messages or turns are generally non-persistent. Other than a relatively small number of the most recent messages or turns, the older turns in prior art systems scroll from the display and are no longer available to users. Typically, the messages received at a user computer during a first session of a discussion or chat are not again available to that user computer from the discussion system during a subsequent chat. Each user computer typically displays messages or turns that have been transmitted or broadcast only during a session in which the user computer is included in (e.g., logged into) the discussion or room. Messages or turns transmitted in the discussion before a user computer is included are unavailable to that user computer from the discussion system.
One disadvantage of conventional real-time computer chat systems in comparison to traditional direct verbal communication is that chat systems typically provide little or no social context for the participants in the discussion. Social context in traditional direct verbal communication assists people in discerning the suitability, usefulness, applicability, or veracity of statements made by other people. Social context may include knowledge of past statements of a person, including the frequency and types of statements.
While the general non-persistence of messages or turns in conventional real-time computer chat systems exacerbates the absence of social context information, persistence alone typically cannot provide the social context information. One aspect of conventional real-time computer chat systems is that generally large numbers of messages can be posted over different periods of time. Persistently maintaining all messages so that a user could review them and discern the types of information posted by each of the users would usually be impracticable because of the significant numbers of users and messages.
The present invention provides for real-time computer chat or discussion systems a social accounting system that persistently maintains summary information regarding user participation in the chat system and displays the information at user computers as a social accounting pane. In one implementation, the social accounting pane is rendered simultaneously adjacent a discussion message pane in which discussion messages are rendered. In other implementations, the social accounting pane and the discussion message pane could be arranged differently relative to each other in a simultaneous display or could be displayed or used separately.
In one implementation, the social accounting pane displays identifying information about each member of a discussion such as, for example, a user name and an email address. Members currently involved in or logged into the discussion are indicated with an attendance field. An entered field and an exit field indicate when each member last entered the discussion and, if not present, when the member last exited the discussion. The social accounting pane may also list a session field indicating the number of sessions or times each member has entered the discussion. Thread, question, answer and comment fields may indicate the numbers of thread, question, answer and comment messages the member has posted.
The social accounting pane can give each user contextual information about other users to assist each user in discerning which other users are likely to be contributing desired information to the discussion. Persistently maintaining the contextual information allows it to accumulate over multiple sessions. The summary form of the contextual information makes reference and access to it convenient and practicable.
It will be appreciated that the persistently maintained contextual or social information may be used with a conventional chat system in which the messages are generally non-persistent, or with a chat system that persistently maintains the messages. In the generally non-persistent former system, the persistently maintained contextual or social information provides the only persistent information relating to user participation. In the persistent latter system, the persistently maintained contextual or social information summarizes user participation that might otherwise require excessive user effort to obtain.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.